Renovation of single family houses : an emerging market

As a major conclusion of an international research project as part of IEA SHC Task 37 “Advanced renovation with solar and conservation”, it was pointed out that one of the major challenges to reduce energy consumption in the residential sector is how to get into the detached house market, which in Norway represents 85% of the energy consumed in residential sector. The owner is left to himself to consider what actions should be implemented to upgrade his house. According to a survey by VTT in Finland, 60% of the renovation of detached houses is executed by the house owner. For professional actors offering holistic solutions this represents a huge business potential. One of the major objectives of the Nordic project “Success Families”, which is a cooperation between VTT in Finland, Danish Technical University, Mid Sweden University and Segel AS in Norway, is to find out how to bridge missing link between the homeowner and the variety of suppliers of relevant products and services.